Car-coupling



(No Model.)

D. M. HARRIS.

- GAB. GOUPLING.

No. 267,344. Patented Nov. 14, 1882.

UNITE DAVID M. HARRis, OF NEWARK, NEW JERsEY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SIDECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,344, datedNovember 14, 1882.

' Application filed March G, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID M. HARRIs, a citizen of the United States,residing in-the city of Newark, county of' Essex, and State of NewJersey, have invenfed certain new and' useful Improvements inUar-Gouplings, fully described and represented in the followingspecification, and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thesame.

This invention relates to an improvement in railway-car couplings; andit consists in improved means for operating upon a pivoted lever,combined with a draw-head, acouplinglink and gripping-hook.

It also consists in the combination, with the hook-operatin gdevices,ofafoot-plate ortreadle for use by the brakeman when makingfiying switches.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 4 show end elevation of a car with mydevices att-ached. Fi gs. 2 and 5 show parts of a carls end in sectionon its center line, and Fig. 3 shows aplan of' the draw-head detachedfrom the platform. The form of the draw-bar being that com monlyemployed, and the means for attaching it to the platform being wellknown, the latter are not shown in the drawings.

A is the end of a freight-car, to which alone my invention isapplicable, as it i-nvolves the use of a Vertical rod, b, applied to theend of the car at the middle of its width, where the door ofpassenger-cars is commonly placed.

B is the platform; O, the buffers usually applied to freight-cars; D,the draw-bar; E, the draw-head; F, the ordinary coupling-linkoriginallydevised to use with a loose pin; G, the spring` of the draw-bar; I-I,the hook for gripping the link automatically, and I a pivoted leverheretofore used for carrying such a hook.

J is a pivot or cross-pin, upon which the lever plays; and K a springapplied to the tail of the lever I, to press the hook downwa-rd and makeit hold the link F securely. The hook is formed upon the forward end ofthe lever.I and stands in the mouth of the draw-head E in such positionthat it is automatically raised by any link forced therein, and closedthereon by the force of the spring K when the end of the link has passedbeyond the inclined front end of the hook. A hook similarly pivoted andprovided with a spring has been already used to engage an opposite hook;but as such a device can only be used with a series of cars entirelyprovided with such couplings, it is obvious that it is not adapted tofreight-cars, which are transferred to various railroads using thecommon link and pin. I have therefore deviscd the improvement shownherein, which affords great facilities for operatin g with the ordinary'coupling-link shown in the drawings at F, and permits the cars providedwith myinvention to be coupled to any others using such a link.Ialso'employ a direct connection to the rear end of the lever I, in theplace of devices projecting fromthe wall of the car out to the edge ofthe platform, to accomplish which I form a mortise, c, through theplatform and extend the Operating-bar straight through it, while themeans heretofore used for placing the hook under the control of thetrain man consisted of cord or chain passed over pulleys, or of otherdevices Operating diff'erently from mine.

The moving device employed by me consists in a Vertical sliding bar, I),secured to the end wallof the car and extended downward through theplatform into contact with the tail end of the lever I, and the said barbeing provided with hand or foot levers for detaching the hook .from thecoupling-link, when desired.

d is a lever connected to the bar Z) at its upper end, the fulcrum l andthe body of the lever being placed beneath the top of the car,

4to avoid contact with any passing object.

e and f are hand-levers placed at the right and left hand sides of thecar, upon its end wall, and connected to the bar b by linka andbell-crank 0. In Fig. separate bell-cranks are shown for eachhand-lever, thus securing` the same inward movement upon the lever ateither side to press down the bar.

In Fig. l a single bell-crank is shown, and both hand-levers c and f,are connected to it by a long link extending all the way from one leverto the other, and crossing the bar' b in its passage.

To secure an inward movement for both the hand-levers in thisarrangement, one is pivoted above the link and one below, thus makingthe levers one of the first and one of the second order. The lever atthe top of the bar is within easy reach of a man on the top of the IOOcar, as those at the sides are accessible to a man on the ground, notbetween the cars, and

the coupling can thus be detached with great facility. When standingupon the platform of the car and looking out to uncouple the cars for aflying switch the trainman is not able to use his hands easily, as hisbody is often extended beyond the side of the car and needs the supportof both his hands.

To facilitate the uncoupling at such times, I connect with my device atreadle or foot-plate, in some convenient location for the operator topress it with his foot, and thus detach the coupling without withdrawingeither his hands or his eyes from other necessary occupation at suchtimes.

In Fig. l a treadle, g, is shown pivoted by a bell-crank or bent leverto each side of the car, and connected by a link, n', to an arm formedupon the bell-cranks 0. The bar b is tlms moved by the treadles in thesame manner as by the levers d, e, and f. Two other means of applyingthe foot to move the bar are shown in Fig. 2. In this figure afoot-plate, (j, is shown secured by a set-screw to thelink n, and thetrainman can thus push the bar by extending his foot backward whilestanding upon the edge of the platform. The same convenience forapplying the foot can be secured by bending the top of the hand-leveroutward, as shown atf' in Fig. 4., and also in the adjacent edge viewshown in Fi". 5. The

. projection of the leveris top from the wall of the car forms a kind ofstirrup, in which the foot rests firmly while the trainma'n Watches forthe exact moment to uncouple the cars.

To prevent accidental contact With the levers employed, guards of woodor iron-plate may be secured to the wall of the car near them andproject enough beyond the levers to secure them from derangenient. Suchguards are shown at h in Figs. l and 2. y

To preserve the eliciency of the draw-head in case of accident to thehook H or any of its moving` apparatus, holes a a are formed in the topand bottom sides of the head E, for the insertion of a commoncoupling-pin. The head may then serve for temporary use until such timeas the broken parts 'are restored.

The socket in the draw-head is formed with shoulders '17, against whichthe end of the link F abuts when it has entered a suitable distance. Itis thus held by the grip of the spring Operating at the tail end of thelever lin a proper position to enter any other draw-head similarlyeonstructed, and would then be automatically coupled to the oppositehook, H, or could be coupled, if necessary, to any car furnished withthe common pin and eouplingsocket.

The advantage of my construction is thus ob- Vious, as it may be used inconnection with cars not provided with my device, and may be used withthe previously-known pin if the novel attachments shown herein aredisordered and the hook removed from the draw-head to permit theinsertion of the pin through the holes (ta. For moving the lever I insuch einergencies,and thus retaining` the use ofthe hook, a handle, L,maybe attached to the lever and eXtend downward beneath the platform ordraw-bar, where it can be reached by hand, if needed.

Should the combined weight of the various levers and links attached tothe bar b not balance the (lownward tendency, the same may beneutralized by a spring, 8, as shown in Fig. 1, or by a weightorweights, as shown attached to the bell-crank 0 at t in Ifig. 4.

I am aware that it is not new to use various systems of levers forOperating coupling devices, nor to project a bar through the platformfor Operating a coupling'hook; and I do not therefore claim suchmechanism, cxcept in the combinations devised by me.

I am also aware that a hook and spring-lever similar to mine have beenused heretol'ore, as in Patent No. 159,372, issued February 2, 1875; andI do not therefore claim the same as myinvention,butonlythe combinationtherewith of the vertical bar b operated by the hand and foot leversdescribed.

Ilaving shown the advantages ofmy special construction, I desire toclaim and secure the same by Letters Patent, as follows:

l. The combination, with the spring-level1 hook II I K, of the verticalbar b and handlevers d, o, and f, the bar b passing directly through theplatform, and the whole arranged and operated in the manner shown anddescribed.

2. The combination of the haud-levers (I, c, andf, with the foot-plateor treadle g, arranged and Operating as described, for moving the bar Z)by hand or foot pressure, substantially as shown and described.

The combination, with a device for working a car-coupling, ofafoot-plateor treadleeonnected therewith and Operating to uncouple thecar when making a flying switch, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereofl have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

DAVID M. IIARIIIS.

Witnesses:

Tnos. S. GRANE, WM. F. D. GRANE.

IOO

